"We have money like garbage" - my mother's phrase for the surprising truth that we always found money for the things that truly mattered. I grew up in that contradiction, and I've been living it ever since. This post is the most honest thing I've written about money, where the beliefs come from, why they're so hard to shift, and what I'm beginning to understand about changing them. The next Lighthouse Talk goes deeper. Tuesday 9th June, online, €10.
We have been taught that the answer to slow growth is more - more platforms, more posts, more visibility. But what if that belief belongs to a system that no longer fits? I have been mapping human ecosystems for over a decade, and the question that changes everything is not how to reach more people. It is whether you actually know who your people are - and whether you are tending that relationship.
Tony had everything - solid science, a great product, real expertise. But every room he walked into, the doors quietly closed. I recognised the pattern immediately. He was flooding the Rider and the Elephant never woke up. This piece is about the model that changed everything for him - and the three questions that will change how you communicate too.
This morning I was listening to a podcast about a woman who left Hollywood, moved to Fiji, and ended up rethinking how investment works from the ground up. Hearing her made me hopeful - in a specific way. That's what a voice from outside your world can do. It changes the altitude from which you see your own situation. That's the seed of the Lighthouse Talks - and the first one is this Tuesday, 28 April, free and online.
I reached out to someone last week, in the middle of everything that’s been happening in Ireland. I asked: “Can I support you? What do you need?” They were surprised. And grateful.
We’re all getting very good at being grand. At wearing the mask for work, for the children, for the sake of keeping things together. But at night, it slides off — and there’s nobody there to hold us.
This post is for anyone who’s lying awake, not quite knowing how to be. The real face has been there all along.
When business feels stuck, our instinct is to push harder — more hours, more marketing, more effort. But sometimes, what’s needed isn’t action — it’s perspective.
Drawing on the Two Loops Model by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze, I explore how businesses, like living systems, grow, peak, and evolve. Through Rachel’s story at Mix Coworking, you’ll see how pausing to reflect, reorient, and redesign can turn uncertainty into clarity and bring renewed energy to your work.
What happens when the version of you that once felt confident no longer exists?
This piece explores how life transitions can shake our sense of self — and how, especially when building meaningful work, a lack of confidence may not be a weakness, but a sign that you’re stepping off the beaten track and into something new.
Blow-Ink. met on Tuesday mornings at Clonakilty Library, with a hunger for connection and writing. The group was small but deeply invested in sharing work, translating and writing new work in both English and their mother tongues. We had participants from France, Spain, Poland, Pakistan, Mauritius, Israel and Ukraine. This zine is the result not only of the workshops, but also the energy, enthusiasm and artistic talent of the group.
Many business owners feel caught between two competing needs: the freedom to create and the discipline of structure. Too much structure can stifle energy; too much flow can create chaos.
What if your business isn’t a machine to control, but a living system to nurture?
In this article, I explore how sustainable businesses thrive when flow and structure work together — and how finding that balance can bring more clarity, resilience, and growth to your work.
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